Protective closure for decorative ornaments



Dec. 4, 1956 s. COLE ET AL 2,772,500

PROTECTIVE CLOSURE FOR DECORATIVE ORNAMENTS Filed Sept. 20, 1954 INVENTORJ 51mm) COLE BY RALPH PAOLILLO United States Patent PROTECTIVE CLOSURE FOR DECORATIVE ORNAMENTS Sidney Cole, New York, and Ralph Paolillo, Brooklyn, N. Y.

Application September 20, 1954, Serial No. 457,086

1 Claim. (Cl. 41-10) This invention relates to a device in which may be protectively enclosed, indefinitely, a decorative ornament such as that placed on top of a wedding cake.

One object of the invention is to provide means whereby an ornament of the type referred to can be preserved indefinitely and kept on view, as a memento of the date on which a husband and wife were wedded to each other.

Another object is to encase the wedding cake ornament in an attractive manner, so that it will itself serve as a decorative object in a room.

A further object is to facilitate the mounting, in a decorative arrangement about the wedding cake ornament, of sprigs of simulated flowers and the like.

A further object is, in at least one form of the invention, to provide means whereby a selected number of miniature candles can be attractively grouped about the wedding cake ornament, on wedding anniversaries.

Still another object, in another form of the invention, is to provide a separable base for the wedding cake ornament, having a lower section which supports the ornament on the Wedding cake, but which is subsequently removed to expose a plurality of downwardly extending pegs, engageable in selected openings of the base of the ornament-enclosing device.

A further object, in the last-mentioned form of the invention, is to permit the pegs to be inserted in any of a number of groups of openings, to permit selective positioning of the ornament on the base of the device.

For further comprehension of the invention, and of the objects and advantages thereof, reference will be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, and to the appended claims in which the various novel features of the invention are more particularly set forth.

In the accompanying drawings forming a material part of this disclosure:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an encased decorative ornament formed in accordance with the present invention.

Fig, 2 is an enlarged, detail sectional view on line 2--2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a modified form in which a portion of the cover has been broken away.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged horizontal section taken on line 44 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary bottom perspective view of a second modification, a portion being broken away.

Fig. 6 is an exploded front elevational view of the wedding cake ornament in the form of Fig. 5, a portion of the lower section of the ornament pedestal being broken away.

Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 4 through the base of the device on which has been mounted the ornament of Figs. 5 and 6,

In Figs. 1 and 2, the device includes a flat-bottomed, circular, relatively thick base 10 of wood, molded plastic, or any other suitable material. The periphery of the base is transversely rounded, in a preferred embodiment, and in the marginal portion of the flat top surface of 2,772,500 Patented Dec. 4, 1956 the base there is formed a continuous annular, upwardly opening groove 12 of rectangular cross section, concentric with the body of the base.

A transparent cover 14 of glass, plastic, or any other suitable material has a cylindrical hollow body formed open at its lower end, the body being of a diameter corresponding to that of groove 12, with the lower end of the body 14 engaging in the groove. Preferably, the body 14 is removable, but if desired, it can be adhesively or otherwise permanently secured within the groove.

At its upper end, the cylindrical body 14 of the cover merges into a semispherical upper end wall.

In the enclosure circumscribed by the cover, there is positioned a wedding cake ornament of plastic, plaster of Paris, or other well-known materials. The ornament, per se, is conventional, and includes a flat base 16 integral with an upstanding statuette 18 shaped as a bride and groom. The rectangular ornament base 16 is secured by adhesive 20 or any other suitable means to the top surface of the base 10.

The ornament base or pedestal 16 would initially be supported upon the top of the wedding cake, not shown, and may have any suitable means for holding the same in proper position upon the cake. However, after the ceremony and accompanying festivities have been concluded, the ornament is removed and is placed in the cover, being adhesively secured to the base 10. In this way, the ornament is permanently kept by the married couple, and when encased as in Fig. 1, provides a highly decorative object in, the home.

In Figs. 3 and 4 a modified form is shown, which is similar in all respects to that of Figs. 1 and 2, except for the fact that the base 10*, having the cover-receiving groove 12 is provided with a series of upwardly opening, small, circular recesses or sockets 22 in the area circumscribed by the groove 12 In this form of the invention, the sockets or recesses 22 are provided, to receive miniature candles. The openings can be symmetrically arranged about the ornament pedestal 16 (see Fig. 4) and in a typical commercial embodiment can be five in number. symmetrically arranged in respect to the recesses 22 and ornament pedestal, directly in back of the pedestal, is a larger, upwardly opening recess 24 in which is mounted the sprig 26 of simulated flowers. The opening 24 and sprig 26 are included in the first form of the invention, also.

The miniature candles have been designated at 28 and may comprise real candles. Alternatively, they can be simulated candles.

In this form of the invention, it may be desired to not mount the candles 28 in the sockets 22 except on special occasions, such as Wedding anniversaries. Then, on the fifth anniversary, for example, candles can be inserted in the recesses 22. As subsequent anniversaries occur, candles of different colors or materials, corresponding to the particular anniversary being celebrated, can be used. For example, silvered candles may be emplayed on the silver anniversary, and gold-colored candles on a fiftieth anniversary.

In Figs. 5-7 a second modification is shown. In this form, the pedestal 16 of the ornament includes a pair of superposed, upper and lower sections 31, 32 having registering edges and fiat, contacting surfaces, The statuette 18 is permanently amxed to the upper surface of the upper pedestal section 31.

Integrally formed upon the underside of the section 31 is a rectangular series of depending pegs 30. The length of each peg is equal to the thickness of the section 32, and formed in the section 32 is a rectangular series of openings 34 adapted to receive the pegs, the pegs being removably engaged in the openings.

When the ornament is used on top of a wedding cake,

the section 32 is positioned as shown in Fig. 5, and the pegs 30 are engaged in openings 34. The pedestal may now be supported directly upon the wedding cake.

When, however, the ornament is to be encased in the transparent cover, the section 32 is removed and is discarded. This exposes the pegs 30. The pegs 30 are now inserted in the selected series of upwardly opening recesses formed in the base (Fig. 7), having a groove 12 for receiving cover 14, said groove circumscribing the several openings or recesses of the base 10 For example, pegs 30 can be inserted in openings 36, 38, 40, 42, arranged in a rectangular series at the front of base 101). Or, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 7, the wedding cake ornament can have its pegs engaged in openings 44, 46, 43, 50. These are also in a rectangular series, though at the back of base 10 At one side, there is apairof openings 52, 54, and at the other side there is a pair of openings 56, 53. These can also be selectively employed, For example, the ornaments can be placed at the left side of the device with the pegs engaged in openings 52, 50, 36, 54. Or, if located at the other side, the pedestal can have the pegs 3G engaged in openings 48, 56, 58, 38.

The selective positioning of the pedestal on base 10 permits various attractive arrangements to be carried out. For example, with the pedestal in the full line position of Fig. 7, the remaining openings 44 through 58, can be used to receive sprigs 26 or candles 28. If the pedestal is in the dotted line position of Fig. 7, the sprigs can be arranged at opposite sides of the same and slightly forwardly of the same, in the openings 52 through 58. In this event, the candles may be mounted in the openings 36 through 42. If located at either side, the statuette can be attractively disposed with sprigs and/ or candles at the back, one side, and front thereof in the openings 38, 40, 42, 44, 46, 48, 56 and 58.

While we have illustrated and described the preferred embodiments of our invention, it is to be understood that we do not limit ourselves to the precise constructions herein disclosed and the right is reserved to all changes and modifications coming within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claim.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is:

A decorative object comprising a circular base, an ornament thereon, and a transparent cover supported upon the base and encasing said ornament, said ornament including a pedestal and a statuette on said pedestal, said cover including a cylindrical, upstanding hollow body, the upper end of said body merging into a semispherical upper end wall, said body being formed wholly of a transparent material, the base having a fiat upper surface formed with a marginal upwardly opening groove, the base being formed, in the areas circumscribed by said groove, with an upwardly opening recess and with a plurality of openings, said decorative object further including a sprig of simulated flowers engaged in said recess, said ornament pedestal being formed with 21 depending series of pegs engageable in selected openings of the base, said pedestal being formed of a pair of superposed sections, the pegs depending from the underside of one of said sections, the other section having openings corresponding in spacing to the pegs to normally receive the same, said last-named section being removable from engagement with the first-named section.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,196,230 Randel Apr. 9, 1940 2,241,182 Cayo May 6, 1941 2,361,423 Snyder Oct. 31, 1944 

